People with a high body weight living in England can now access subsidised weight-loss drugs to treat their obesity.

Ozempic is synonymous with weight loss for many people. Doctors explain benefits and risks of semaglutide and other GLP-1 drugs, and whether they're safe.

Now, one type of weight-loss medication is proving helpful with another health issue. In a study published Feb. 12 in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers report that semaglutide, better known as Ozempic or Wegovy, helped people with alcohol addiction reduce their craving and drink less.

Metformin is an old drug. In its earliest form, it was an extract from lilacs and was purportedly used in the 1700s to treat what the French called “sweet urine disease,” which we now know as diabetes. A more modern form was introduced in the 1950s in Europe, and the main active ingredient is still derived from French lilacs.

People with a high body weight living in England can now access subsidized weight-loss drugs to treat their obesity. This includes Wegovy (the weight-loss dose of Ozempic, or semaglutide) and Mounjaro (one of the brand names for tirzepatide).

Hims & Hers (HIMS) made a killing last year selling an off-brand version of Ozempic, but with the drug’s shortage now over, the company will soon have to halt sales of its cheaper alternative. That said,

Hims & Hers stock tumbled after the company confirmed it would stop selling some compounded weight-loss drugs.